Kunlun Ruins.
A hidden sanctuary within the Kunlun Mountain.
In this vast and boundless world, atop a majestic mountain peak, there sat an elegant little wooden hut.
At this moment, two elderly hermits with an otherworldly presence were sitting by a cliffside, playing chess and stroking their beards as they conversed about the major happenings within the Kunlun Ruins.
"Puh!"
Suddenly, one of the elderly men, while playing chess, underwent a drastic change in complexion—his face turned from white to red and back to white—before he opened his mouth to spit out a large mouthful of blood onto the chessboard.
The blood he spat out, coagulated yet undispersed, shot out like a blood arrow, instantly piercing through the chessboard. The chess pieces were thrown into disarray, some falling at their feet, others plummeting down the cliff.
"What's wrong, Old Chen? What's happened?"
The other elderly man, upon seeing his companion spitting blood, slightly changed expressions and quickly asked with concern.
"I'm not sure, I just felt a sudden whim, and my heart is restless. Let's end this game of chess for now; I need to divine what exactly has happened."
Chen Wudao's eyes flickered with changes before he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and murmured softly.
Having said that, he began twirling his fingers and muttering some spell under his breath. Then, his gaze intensified, and a terrifying murderous aura burst forth!
"Boom!"
In an instant, an ancient pine rooted on the opposite cliff, directly in line with Chen Wudao's fiercely murderous gaze, began to shake violently, its needles swiftly falling.
In the blink of an eye, not a single needle remained.
Chen Wudao stood up tall, his eyes bloodshot, his body trembling, "Damn it, someone dared to sever my bloodline, to cut off my fate, I won't let them off!"
This man was none other than the Chen Family Ancestor mentioned by Patriarch Chen just before his death.
However, he seemed unconcerned about the death of his descendant; what truly angered him was that someone had severed his fate.
The Chen Family had flourished under his protection, providing him with wealth and a ceaseless stream of fortune in return for his shelter.
Chen Wudao had been waiting for the Chen Family to slowly develop into Jiangnan Province's number one Martial Arts Family and even the number one in the entire Martial Arts World of Shenzhou so that with the smoky haze from the family graves, he could ride the wave and lead the Martial Arts World to prosperity.
But now, the whole Chen Family had been massacred!
"Huff..."
Chen Wudao took a deep breath, suppressing his boiling fury, and then bowed with a fist to the worried-looking old man beside him, "Brother Li, I must leave the mountain. After I deal with that ignorant fool, we can continue our exchange of chess skills."
"Alright," the old man nodded.
Chen Wudao immediately turned and leapt down from the towering cliff.
As he fell through the midair, the fierce wind howled, causing his clothes to flutter loudly, yet he remained as immovable as a mountain, and even...
During this descent, his bones crackled, and his previously slightly stooped figure straightened out.
His head of silver hair was stripped away by the fierce wind, leaving him bare, but in no time, his scalp grew a head of shiny black hair.
Afterward, Chen Wudao's wrinkled, aged face seemed to undergo a reversal of time, his wrinkles disappearing as his skin became smooth, fair, and delicate.
"Boom!"
Chen Wudao landed heavily at the mountain's base, like a meteor hitting the earth, creating a deep crater, with sand and stones splashing everywhere and dust filling the air...
After the dust settled, a strikingly handsome young man stepped out of the deep crater and started striding toward the distance.
If not for the young man's Taoist robe being identical to Chen Wudao's, hardly anyone would dare to believe that he was the white-haired, old Chen Wudao!
...
The transformation of Chen Wudao within the Kunlun Ruins was something Mu Jinyu and Xiang Mantang, seated in the Chen Family Estate, were naturally unaware of at this moment.
However, even if they had known, they wouldn't have cared.
When Xiang Mantang let go, Chen Xuyang and Lin Xiaoru collapsed, lifeless, their eyes wide open in fear and regret, staring at the ceiling.
"Take them away."
Xiang Mantang took out a clean towel to wipe her hands and spoke indifferently, instructing a few people.
"Yes."
The people respectfully saluted Xiang Mantang. Their expressions unchanging, they lifted the bodies of Lin Xiaoru and Chen Xuyang and quickly left the living room.
As Mu Jinyu watched these two struggle and die, a hint of pity appeared on his face.
These people really didn't know whether they were alive or dead, insisting on a confrontation over a trifle, only to end up like this today.
In fact, if it had been Mu Jinyu himself settling accounts with them, he would not have been so heavy-handed, preferring to make them regret for a lifetime, just as he had done with Zhang Qiuhuai and Jiang Changge.
However, since Xiang Mantang was willing to vent his anger for him, although he felt somewhat uneasy, he did not refuse.
In the end, they brought it upon themselves!
Yet, Ah-Xiang's murderous aura seemed to have grown much stronger.
Mu Jinyu thought to himself silently.
After Xiang Mantang finished wiping her hands, she said to Mu Jinyu, "Let's go, we can return now."
Mu Jinyu stood up and left the Chen Family Estate with her.
After walking out of the estate, Mu Jinyu looked back at the quiet manor and said to Xiang Mantang with concern, "Ah-Xiang, this won't affect you, right?"
"No worries." Xiang Mantang smiled lightly, her expression unconcerned, "If it were one of the other big families in River City, whether the Du Family, the Jiang Family, or the Xu Family, cleaning them up like this, considering their influence on society, indeed there would be quite some trouble. But this Chen Family, heh..."
After a sneer, Xiang Mantang continued, "They are a Martial Arts Family with countless wealth, their influence radiating throughout Jiangnan, but mostly they let their underling puppets handle affairs. Therefore, even if their whole family were to pass away, at most it would cause a stir in the Jiangnan Martial Arts World and not much else. And once people find out it was me, Xiang Mantang, who did this, who would say anything? They might even applaud!"
Seeing Xiang Mantang saying this, Mu Jinyu also felt reassured.
He knew Xiang Mantang was not one to make empty claims. Since she spoke like this, it was basically settled—the incident wouldn't cause any further uproar.
Afterward, the two got into the car driven by Sister Liu and chatted idly along the way.
Mu Jinyu originally planned to scrounge a lunch at Xiang Mantang's place at noon, but after Xiang Mantang received a phone call, she apologized and excused herself, saying she had matters to attend to and couldn't keep company with her senior brother.
"If you have matters, then go ahead," Mu Jinyu waved his hand, not minding too much.
Xiang Mantang instructed Xiao Mei, "Take good care of my senior brother, don't neglect him. I'll be back soon."
"Yes," Liu Mei replied respectfully.
Xiang Mantang then apologized to Mu Jinyu again and departed.
After Xiang Mantang had left.
Mu Jinyu asked flatly, "Sister Liu, can you cook?"
Driving the car, Liu Mei made a sound of acknowledgment, "I can."
Mu Jinyu said, "Then it's getting late; go to my place and make me a simple meal."